The Legend of Shiva and Parvati

Sometimes it would seem that renunciation is not so final- at least in the way most would perceive it. And then life does not seem to have any end or beginning. There are some who truly march to their own beat – and it is the right thing for them. All those who come in contact with such people are only enriched when they look back and see how some axioms of living are shown to them. The legend of Shiva and Parvati a documentary by Krishna Saraswati, tells a story that is not just his own but shows that sometimes some things are stranger than fiction. There are beautiful visuals to support this and it is a journey for all those who wish to see it as such!

The film is not a mythological as the title suggests- in fact it is mostly about the relationship between an ascetic and a German woman who chooses this life in the Himalayas and marries the ascetic and also bears two children – quite contrary to the concept that sadhus must not just stay celibate, but are very cut off from family life.

Shiva is the Day, Parvati the Night; Shiva is the Fire, Parvati the Water;
Shiva is the Heaven, Parvati the Earth and these metaphors are worked into the true story of Renate, who is named Parvati by the yogi or Baba or the master living in the mountainous region in North India.

The entire film reflects the tranquillity of a heritage, that has been handed down to the children who other than wondering about the combination of their parents and the great admiration for the courage they showed by living life on their terms, are totally accepting of a lineage that is unique.
There is love and there is grief; and there is also death and a life lived to the fullest. In the Mountains where the heaven touches earth, lives the passionate God Shiva with his wife, Parvati. That is the belief and that is the devotion-- that evoke some of the greatest poetry and the arts in general. And this mythological tale could be the story of the Indian yogi, who has many followers and disciples—those who have given up a life of materialism and relationships. They revere him as Shiva, whose teaching is about the omnipresent Om.
But then comes a woman, a German, who falls in love with him. His disciples are worried when the two decide to marry. But that is when they realise that their Shiva has found his Parvati.

Nothing lasts and there is nothing that can remain static. Parvati leaves her Shiva as she cannot live with the yogi anymore. She goes back to Germany with her children and brings them up in a more real world. But the spiritualism and the love for the yogi are abiding and not even a remarriage can dilute that.
Later their son recounts how both of them tried to find their own genuine path between legend and reality. The film recounts the way the two came together and how the journey produced some profound thoughts and principles for life.
Magnificent camera work captures the silence and the serenity of the region – it is palpable and reaches out along with the people the director has chosen to tell the entire story. There is profundity in almost every scene and even the way the snail moves on a leaf, has this quality.
Some of the things the associates of the yogi say are eternal truths – beautifully told! For instance, one of them says,’’ he was truly great. There are those who go to the church and think of whores- but here is he, even if he with a whore is only thinking of Shiva.’’ This encapsulates the essence of someone, who is free in every way- even free from the perceived morals!
Krishna Saraswati who steers the film through its narration was born in 1980 in the Himalayan region and spent his early childhood there with his parents. He has been living in Germany since 1985. The Legend of Shiva and Parvati, is his first film and it was made during his studies at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.
The film is about two people he says. ‘’And they happen to be my parents.’’ There is no angst here about anything and that is reflected in the way he says ’I think I was also born with spirituality.’’ With such a tradition, how else would he be?
The younger brother of yogi Saraswathi and his sister who are from Tamil Nadu say he went away at a very young age. But came back much later in life and spent time with all of us, they add. A kind of a conclusion to a magnificent film and story!